Sunday, March 21, 2010

for my superhero husband...

i have been mulling over what i should make him for months.
i know, i know...i'm a goober.

when making something for the husband, its narrowed down to one field.chocolate.
he is a chocolate law-vah.
he is the mayor of cocoa town.
he's never met some chocolate he didn't like.
if we had never crossed paths i'm pretty sure he would have married chocolate.

i asked him awhile back what type of cake he would like for his birthday.
he says straight to my face "chocolate cake"
duuuuuuh.
so i get ready to pull some teeth.
me to him; "this is a big deal! its for your birthday and its going on the blog so pick something a little more challenging."
blank stare.
then he says "chocolate cake".

good grief.
i was basically on my own.
what ever i decided to make needed to include a substance called chocolate.
got it.

one of our favorite cheesecakes is the kahlua cocoa coffee cheesecake from the cheesecake factory.
we have only had two encounters with this thing and we talk about it like its a dear, long lost friend.
"remember that time we had a slice of that kahlua cocoa coffee cheesecake....wow...good times."
pathetic.
but it is that good.

so when i saw this recipe on smitten kitchen for a cappuccino fudge cheesecake, i did a double take.
low and behold...it was basically the same as our beloved $8.00 a slice cheesecake factory fave.

i had found my winner!
i was pleasantly surprised to find out this was not as difficult to make as i envisioned, despite the looooong directions.
when we sliced into it at jere jae's birthday party, there were ohhhhh's and ahhhhh's.
then silence and utter disbelief as we all tasted it!
wowza.
it was AH-mazing.

To make crust:
Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with 3 inch sides with a circle of parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan.
Combine the finely crushed cookies, nutmeg and salt in a mixing bowl. Add butter and mix with a rubber spatula or fork until butter is evenly distributed and all the crumbs are moist. Transfer crumbs to springform pan. Wrap plastic wrap around your fingers and press crumb mixture firmly up the sides to within 1/4 inch of top edge, then press into the bottom of pan, set aside.

To make ganache:
Bring cream to simmer in a saucepan. Remove from heat; add chopped chocolate and Kahlúa/syrup. Allow to stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Pour 2 cups of the ganache over the bottom of crust. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for top of cheesecake.

To make filling:
Position rack in middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. In a small bowl mix together coffee crystals, Kahlua or syrup, vanilla, and molasses until instant coffee dissolves, set aside.
Beat the eggs together in a small bowl and set aside.
Place cream cheese and sugar in large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl making sure you get all cream cheese pieces. Continue to mix on low until completely smooth. Add in flour then coffee mixture to cream cheese mixture. Add 1/3 of the eggs in at a time until all of it is used up, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition. Mix until just incorporated.
Pour the filling over cold ganache in crust. Place cheesecake on rimmed baking sheet. Carefully place pan in to oven and bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at edges, and the center moves slightly when pan is gently shaken, about one hour. It should be wobbly in the middle. Resist the urge to over bake, this will lead to the top cracking open.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and keep the oven at 350 degrees.
Transfer cheesecake to cooling rack, still on the rimmed baking sheet. Cool for 15 minutes while preparing topping.

Make topping:
Whisk together sour cream, sugar, vanilla and salt in medium bowl. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover the entire top. Return to oven and bake until topping is set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to cooling rack for about one hour.
Then place cheesecake in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably over night.

To decorate and serve:
Run small sharp knife in between crust and pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides.
Transfer cheesecake to platter. Spoon reserved ganache into pastry bag fitted with decorative small star tip. Decorate top of cheesecake in desired pattern; lattice work, rosettes, anything! Or you can do an abstract mess like mine below ;-).
Finish of with a piped row of ganache around top edge of cake.
If ganache is to quick/thin, place in the fridge for about 10 minutes or a longer to firm it back up a little, then continue with decorating.
Garnish with chocolate-covered espresso beans, if desired. Chill until ganache work is firm, at least 6 hours.
When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator and allow to sit on counter top for about 15- 30 minutes. This worked best for me.
Use a hot, dry knife to cut small 1 1/2 inch slices, serve with some homemade whipped cream.
Clean off knife in between slices.
Make ahead: The cake is best made a day ahead, so the flavors have time to settle. The cake also takes enough time to make that it’s best not to rush through it the day you want to serve it. It can be made up to four days ahead. Wrap loosely in foil, forming dome over the ganache work; keep chilled.
adapted from :: smitten kitchen, bon appetit 2002

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Aloha....

welcome to my little corner of the world. my husband, kids and i live in honolulu, hi. i've been planning events for over 20+ years and love it. we have much to be thankful for and much to live for. i love Jesus and helping people make a simple get together in to something memorable. please feel free to email me if i can help you in any way by clicking theemail me button!thanks for stopping by....